SCRA Begins Again !!!
More than two years after it was originally conceived, the Southern California Roller Association (SCRA) returns to fulfill the dreams and expectations of roller clubs and fanciers throughout the Southern California region.
The organization spans from Ventura to San Diego Counties and includes the San Fernando, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The SCRA exists to strengthen the communication between Roller Clubs and promote competitiveness and camaraderie amongst the fanciers in the area. Southern California has traditionally been one of the strongest Roller areas in the United States and in the world. The SCRA is governed by a "Board of Directors", which is made up of the Presidents of each of its participating club members.
The Goals of the SCRA are:
A) To Communicate the activities of each Club.
B) To Promote the Roller Hobby in the area.
C) To Promote Participation in the NBRC (membership, Spinner Certification, Judge Training, etc.) and World Cup.
The Activities of the SCRA include:
1) Meet Quarterly (Board of Directors) to Communicate and Coordinate Club activities.
2) Publish (distribute locally and in the NBRC Bulletin) a Newsletter that promotes local fanciers and events including:
A) Club Competition Update
B) Top Ten Individuals Standings
C) Top Ten Club Standings
D) Calendar of Events
E) Event/Topic Highlight Articles
3) Coordinate and run the "California Classic"
4) Coordinate and run the "Big Fly"
5) Establish an SCRA "Hall of Fame"
6) Coordinate a year-ending SCRA Event, which awards the following:
A) "Roller Man of the Year" (Most successful competitor)
B) "Roller Club of the Year" (Most successful and Active)
C) "Man of the Year" (Best Promoter of Hobby)
D) "Show Man of the Year" (Best Show Competitor)
E) "Bird of the Year" (Best Individual)
If any other area clubs are interested in joining the SCRA, please contact Juan Navarro at (323) 254-2507.

The following local Roller Clubs form the SCRA:
1) APEX 6)LCRC 11) TRA
2) CPRC 7) MVHRC 12) VCRC
3) FCRS 8) OLRC 13) WCS
4) HDRC 9) SBRC 14) WSRC
5) ICRC 10) SDS

Call Juan Navarro (323) 254-2507 if your club would like to join.

McCray beat out several fanciers who had great years. Honorable mentions must go out to Jerry Higgins who finished 7th in the World Cup Final Standings, Bob Southall who finished 12th in the World Cup, World Cup Finals qualifiers Tim Decker and Roy Trehern, and NBRC Fall Fly qualifiers Milton Rudd and J.J. (MVHRC).
McCray's strong placement in both the World Cup and NBRC Fall Fly were attained during a season in which he also won his third consecutive ICRC title and his second OLRC title! His two birds that finished in the Top Twenty of the California Classic just added to an all around great year.
Good luck to Kevin as we all try to duplicate his tremendous 1998 season.

CPRC - Club of 1998!
The California Performance Roller Club has been named the Best Club in the Southern California are during 1998! The CPRC was selected using a system that reviewed the following factors:
A) Club members placement in the World Cup, NBRC Fall Fly, California Classic and additional competitions.
B) Club's (member's) local activities
C) Club's (member's) national activities
Other clubs that deserved recognition included the SDS (Roy Trehern served as NBRC Director and qualified for the World Cup Finals), the TRA (Dave Goss coordinated the local NBRC Fall Fly) and the ICRC (Along with Kevin McCray's accomplishments, Juan Navarro served as an NBRC Regional Director). The CPRC continued its leadership role amongst the Southern California Clubs as once again the club had strong kit competition competitors. The CPRC beat the SDS in the "Fly or Die", Jerry Higgins finished 7th in the World Cup and Tim Decker qualified for the World Cup.
The club also was on the forefront of promoting the hobby as John Van Broek again coordinated the California Classic and was elected NBRC Vice President. The club hosted the NBRC Convention for the area and Van Copple served as an NBRC Regional Director.

Higgins - Man of 1998!

Jerry Higgins of Colton, California has been named the first ever SCRA Man of the Year! Higgins who is a member of the CPRC is also a member of the prestigious NBRC Hall of Fame as well as having recently served as its President. Higgins who has helped several fanciers with the development of their roller programs, has always been recognized for both his competitive rollers and his willingness to help the hobby prosper.
In 1998, Jerry was involved with many of the changes that have affected the NBRC recently and hosted visitors from local areas as well as throughout the United States and other countries.
His writings in the NBRC Bulletin have provided keen insight for many fanciers throughout the world and his phone and internet conversations have provided help to the many who call and contact him daily.
Jerry is truly a model Rollerman who always takes the time to share moments with new fanciers as well as some of the giants of our time. He often also supports the activities of other clubs that are hundreds of miles away from his home.
I can not think of a more worthy fancier than Jerry as the inaugural SCRA Man of the Year!

As of January 31st, there are just 145 days left before the 1998-9 10th Annual California Classic is decided!
The event is scheduled for Saturday, June 24th at the home of Kevin McCray (in Harbor City). Kevin has been very lucky and has reported very few losses to falcons, hawks or bad weather. This may turn out to be the most competitive Classic yet!
The kits have been flown regularly and many of the birds have started to come into the roll. Keep your fingers crossed… you may be the lucky winner!!!

1999 SCRA Individual Top Ten Rankings
As we enter the last year of this decade and century, a few local "old-timers" continue their excellence while an infusion of aggressive and hungry fanciers command some attention. The 90's have seen tremendous growth in the Roller hobby and the next decade looks to be even more exciting!
As we evaluate the area's best competitors, a few points of interest are apparent.
A) Eight out of the top ten fanciers' breed and fly the Jaconette/Reed (although Jerry Higgins and Roy Trehern have had significant influence on the family as well) family of birds. Should this be a clear sign for everyone to switch to these birds?
B) Of the eight top ten fanciers flying this family of birds, all have origins back to Jerry Higgin's loft. It is impressive to think that one man can have such an influence on so many successful fanciers. No wonder Jerry was selected the 1998 SCRA Man of the Year!
C) Seven of the top ten compete in either the CPRC or WCS. Four are in the CPRC (most by any one club) and three are out of the WCS. The CPRC has traditionally been the area's most competitive club with several members having national recognition for their accomplishments.
D) The WCS may be the hottest club in the area! With a strong group of flyers that also includes Rod Fomby (past World Cup winner), the WCS may be the SCRA 1999 Club of the Year!
E) At this time, no individual or club in the Ventura, Orange or High Desert areas seem to be in a strong position to challenge for the top spots coming into the '99 season.
Here's who to watch in '99:
1) Jerry Higgins (CPRC) - After four Top Ten finishes in the World Cup, 1999 maybe Jerry's year to win it all. Jerry has a lot of things going for him. He has a lot of time since he is retired, he has a lot of quality birds, he knows how to get a kit ready for the big competitions and he goes up against some of the toughest competition every fly in the CPRC. Jerry could be the first man to win both the World Cup and NBRC Fall Fly in one year. Definitely the one to watch in 1999!
2) Kevin McCray (ICRC) - The 1998 SCRA Roller Man of the Year has a chance to repeat if everything goes well. "If" is always tough to predict. Kevin has proven to be a strong competitor with solid birds. The biggest concern is whether or not flying the California Classic birds will take away too much time to concentrate enough effort into his own birds. We'll see…
3) Robert Parker (CPRC) - A past World Cup winner who continues to fly tremendous kits, Robert may return to his glory days in '99. Robert should perform well during the year, the only question will be if his birds are "on" the day of the big one. With the quality of birds in his program, it is hard to count Robert out of any contest.
4) Tim Decker (CPRC) - One of the best kept secrets of our area. Tim consistently flies great kits in the very tough CPRC and has qualified for the World Cup several times. One of only two fanciers in the top ten who does not fly the Jaconette/Reed family of birds. Look for Tim to finish near the top again this year.
5) Johnny Smith (WCS) - A new name for the top ten list, Johnny has flown some of the best kits in the area in the last two years. Another fancier using the Jaconette/Reed family, Johnny will shock other area fanciers in '99!
6) Milton Rudd (WCS) - Another West Coast Spinner representative, Milton was an NBRC Fall Fly finalist in '98 and looks to improve in '99. His Jaconette/Reed program has been built by selecting some of the finest birds from the lofts of Jerry Higgins, Robert Parker and Ray Fisher.
7) Roy Trehern (SDS) - The only representative in the top ten that resides south of the Los Angeles area, Roy traditionally has done well in local and national competitions. His roller program has been refined to a solid machine that regularly produces excellent birds. Look for Roy to do well once again.
8) Bob Southall (TRA) - Bob shocked the local area in '98 with his strong NBRC Fall Fly showing. Also working with the Jaconette/Reed family, Bob is now working with some excellent birds which he selected from the loft of Jerry Higgins. When a fancier is hot… look out! Bob seems to be on a roll, so keep an eye out for him this year.
9) Randy Gibson (CPRC) - The only other fancier (along with
Tim Decker) in the top ten who does not use the Jaconette/Reed family, Randy is well known for having flown the California Classic kits, having some beautiful lofts, flying some great working kits and his "color" roller program (which he is developing along with Doug Brown). Randy is definitely someone who has the potential of winning it all…
10) "J.J." (MVHRC) - ("J.J." does not use a last name)
A new face in the competition game, J.J. shocked the pigeon
world by qualifying for the NBRC Fall Fly finals in 1998.
Flying in the Moreno Valley area, J.J. looks to continue to do well in 1999 as he gets his eight kits ready for competition!
It is said that "the person with the best birds doesn't always win, it's usually the person who works the best with his birds that does". Well look no further because J.J. has lots of good rollers and lots of time to work them. (Always a dangerous combination). Keep an eye out for this aggressive fancier as he looks to put his mark on the roller world.

Well there you have it! Will there be someone else to challenge these great fanciers? 1999 should be a very exciting year!!!

1999 SCRA Top Five Club Rankings
Although there are said to be currently over thirty Roller clubs spread throughout Southern California (with many springing up weekly), there are only a handful that have stood the test of time. Many clubs start up only to dissolve within a few short years.
There are however, a few clubs that consistently compete in kit competitions and participate in local and national activities. Those clubs are the foundation for what has become the SCRA.
Although most clubs compete with slightly different kit competition rules, there are some similarities that allow the evaluation of each club against each other.
The following ranks the top five local area clubs for the strength of its members and their kit performances during the upcoming seasons:

1) CPRC - The California Performance Roller Club has long been the standard of the area. It has some of the best Rollermen in the world as their members. The CPRC is the most competitive club for kit competitions with fifteen members regularly flying. A review of its top flyers includes Jerry Higgins (four top ten finishes in the Would Cup), Robert Parker (past World Cup winner), Tim Decker (World Cup finalist), Van Copple (California Classic winner) and reads like a "Who's Who" of the Roller Society. Other members include Randy Gibson, Joe Bowers, Frankie Ochoa and several others who are serious contenders in the hobby. Most importantly the CPRC does not rest on its past accomplishments… they push to dominate the hobby!
2) WCS - Surprised? Don't be. The West Coast Spinners is the hottest and fastest improving club in the area. With members such as Rod Fomby (past World Cup winner), Ray Fisher, Milton Rudd (NBRC Fall Fly Finalist), Johnny Smith, Juan Marshal and others, the WCS looks to potentially be the club to challenge the CPRC for the title of being the best club in Southern California. As a display of it's commitment to the sport, the WCS has mandated membership to the NBRC and participation in the World Cup, NBRC Fall Fly and California Classic. Now that's commitment!
3) TRA - The Roller Association is the longest running roller club in Southern California. It dates back to 1969 (and may have began before then). The club has been and continues to be filled with serious competitors. It's roster includes Hall of Fame member Dave Goss, 1998 12th Place World Cup Fancier Bob Southall, Legendary Chuck Paul and several other strong rollermen. Despite early year predator problems, look for a few of these guys to be near the top of the standings for the area competitions!
4) ICRC - The Inner City Roller Club may finally fulfill the promise that it showed in the early 1990's. With members such as Kevin McCray ('98 World Cup & NBRC Fall Fly Finalist), Juan Navarro (3rd Place '98 L.A. area NBRC Fall Fly), Rayvon Hall (three-time kit competition winner and consistent local power), Keith London (two-time ICRC and four-time WSRC kit competition winner), and Calvin Johnson (strong flyer currently with four strong
hold-over kits), the ICRC could challenge the area as one of the most talented clubs. Given the level of competitiveness in the past year, look for the ICRC to make a strong impression on the two main kit competitions (the World Cup and NBRC Fall Fly) and especially the California Classic. With a reputation of doing very well at club shows, Rayvon, Juan and Adam Alvarez look to prove their birds worthiness in the air in 1999!
5) OLRC - The Outlaw Roller Club has one of the best "unknown" groups of rollermen in the area. In addition to Kevin McCray, there are also Calvin Johnson, David Ramirez and Curtis Melocon along with the other members in the club. Watch out for these guys in '99 and don't be surprised to see two or three of them have a big impact in World Cup and NBRC Fall Fly. Most of you may not have heard of the OLRC before, but don't count these guys out as they have made it a point to make their mark this coming year.

Bruce Hall of Rialto has a great idea. Bruce's idea is "The Southern California Ultimate Fly-off". "The Ultimate Fly-off" is a Kit Competition with a great twist. The twist is that who ever participates can select his own day to fly his kit! Every one of us has experienced the joy of their birds rolling full turns only to be alone and also flying the same kit on a competition day (with a yard full of spectators) only to have them do nothing!
Well, with the "Ultimate Fly-off", you call your own day! Between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 1999, anyone can phone Bruce and schedule (with reasonable warning) a judge for your kit. Call Bruce for details (909) 877-5445.

Back